Knife bar shaping machine



April 3, 1934. c. E. CLEVELAND KNIFE BAR SHAPING MACHINE Filed July 20, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1,

M 6 W INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 3, 1.934.

C. E. CLEVELAND KNIFE BAR SHAPING MACHINE Filed July 20, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .llllll. l l l I I I l II I .l l l l l lllll I l l I I I l I l II N VE N TOR irrofiwsy April 3, 1934'. c. E. CLEVELAND 1,953,747

' KNIFE BAR SHAPING MACHINE Filad July 20, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet s- A Tram/Er April 3, 1934. g, CLEVELAND 1,953.747

KNIFE BAR SHAPING MACHINE v Filed July 20. 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I W/NVENTOI? Q I BY Ari-05w E'Y Patented Apr. 3, 1934 1,953,747 KNEFE EAR SHAPING MACHIN Charles E. Cleveland, Kendallville, Ind. Application July 20, 1933, Serial No. 681,339

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in knife-bar shaping machines adapted for imparting spiral formation to straight bars as is required in the construction of such implements as lawn mowers of the reel type, and in some respects has characteristics similar to those disclosed in my previous application for knife-bar shaping machines, Ser. No. 646,275, filed December 8, 1932.

One. of the objects of the instant invention is to provide in a machine for bending metallic bars a platen disposed to turn upon an axis in conjunction with a series of traveling rollers by which a metallic bar is made to conform to the platenand cause the required turning movement of the platen as the machine is operated.

A further object is to construct the machine so that in the operation thereof only a small amount of power is required.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine ernbodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation projected from- Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of Fig. l on the line r-x thereof.

The illustrative embodiment of the invention consists of a hollow pedestal 1 upon the top of which are disposed parallel horizontal guideways 2 and a pair of brackets 3 disposed respectively,

at the opposite ends of the pedestal and toone side thereof. A carriage 4 is mounted on the.

guideways 2 upon which it has guided sliding movement. The carriage has uprights 5 and 6 inthe upper ends of which are disposed two shafts 7 and 8 that extend transversely with respect to the carriage, the one being located in front of the other. '7 and 8 extend respectively in transverse planes that are convergent from the outer ends of the shafts toward the inner ends thereof. Upon the inner end of each of the shafts '7 and '8 are loosely disposed a corresponding pair of blade forming rollers 9-9 and 10-10, each of which has free turning movement upon its complemental supporting shaft.

In the uprights 5 and 6 is also mounted a transverse shaft 11 having loosely disposed upon its inner end a platen supporting roller 12 so "as to hayefree turning movement thereon, the shaft ,11 being located at a point below the shafts 7 The axes of, the two shafts.

and 8 a sufiicient distance as to afford a substantial space between the blade forming rollers and the platen supporting roller.

In the upright 5 located between the shafts 7 and 11 is provided a slot 13 for the accomlno- I dation of the trunnions 14 of a blade confining roller 15, the axis of which preferably intersects the axes of said shafts '7 and 11. The trunnions 14 are loosely confined in said slot so as to permit turning movement of said blade confining roller.

Between the brackets 3 is disposed a platen 16 of spiral formation which is provided at each end with an arm 17 having a complemental trunnion-l8 that supported by and has rotating movement in the corresponding bracket and the 7 platen turns upon the axis thereof. The platen 16 has a radially disposed face 19 exposed upwardly and which extends spirally from one end thereof to the other, and along the inner margin of said face parallel with the outer margin of 76 the platen is an upwardly projecting shoulder 20. The platen 16 extends into the space between the forming rollers 9-9', 10-l0' and the supporting roller 12 so that its outer edge bears against the confining roller 15. When the car- 80 riage 4 is reciprocated upon the guideways 2 the platen accommodatingly turns upon the axis of its trunnion l8. -The-platen is so proportioned that when a blade 21 is inserted on the face 19. beneath the forming rollers and between the shoulder 20 and the confining roller 15, the blade is closely compressed upon the face of the platen and between the shoulder and the confining roller. and is bent into spiral form during its passage beneath the forming rollersv 9-10 and 9 l0. The twisting of the blade is due to the divergence of the axes upon which the forming rollers revalve, the spiral form of the face of the platen, and the pressure of the forming rollers upon the blade-as the platen is turned.

A pin .22 on the platen projects upwardly from the face 19 thereon preferably adjacent one end thereof which serves as an anchor for securing the blades in proper position on the platenface when they are fed to the machine, the blades '100- ways by any suitable driving mechanism. As an example, 'iere is shown in the drawings a drive 105,

shaft 23 supported in bearings 24 and provided with a pulley 25 which is connected with a suitable source of power by a belt (not shown). One end of the shaft 23 extends into the pedestal 1 and has secured thereon a crank 26, and a slotted arm 27 has swinging movement in the pedestal upon a shaft 28 located in the bottom thereof. The upper end of the arm 27 has a sliding block 29 therein that is connected with the carriage 4 by means of a pin 30. The crank 26 is connected at its outer end by a pin 31 with a block 32 that has sliding movement in the slotted arm so that as the crank revolves reciprocating movement is imparted to the carriage through the medium of the swinging arm.

In the operation, while the carriage is at the forward end of its stroke a knife-blade to be shaped is introduced upon the face 19 of the platen with one end secured to the pin 22 so that upon subsequent stroke of the carriage the forming rollers travel over the top face of the blade while the platen travels upon the supporting roller 12 and is thereby sustained so that the blade is compressed between the face 19 on the platen and the forming rollers, and also, is confined laterally between the roller 15 and the shoulder 20 on the platen during the forming travel of the carriage. During this operation the blade is subjected while under pressure imposed upon it by the forming rollers against the face of the platen, a spiral form corresponding to that of the face of the platen.

Generally, the knife-blades in their initial form are so shaped that their outer margins are of less thickness than their back portions, and consequently the forming rollers 9 and 10, and also the forming rollers 9' and 10' are correspondingly made of different diameters. All of the forming rollers are independently revolvable upon their respective shafts and therefore their travel upon the desired spiral shape.

I claim:

1. In a knife-bar shaping machine, a pedestal having guideways and stationary brackets, a platen supported by said brackets to have turning movement about an axis and having a spiral radially disposed face and provided with a shoulder extending parallel with and spaced from the outer edge of said face, a carriage having reciprocating movement on said guideways, two shafts in the upper part of the carriage that extend transversely with respect thereto, one being located in front of the other, and the axes of which extend respectively in transverse planes that converge toward the inner ends of said shafts, blade -fforming rollers on the inner ends of said shafts imparting reciprocating movement thereto.

2. In a knife-bar shaping machine, a pedestal, a spirally shaped platen mounted in connection with the pedestal to have turning movement about an axis and having a radially disposed face, a

the outer edge of a blade positioned on said platen between its spiral face and said forming rollers, and mechanism for reciprocating said carriage.

,3. In a knife-bar shaping machine, a spirally shaped platen mounted to have turning movement upon an axis and having a radially disposed forming face and shoulder extending along the inner edge of said face, forming rollers spaced apart disposed to turn upon relatively divergent axes that extend transversely respecting the axis for the platen and that overhang said face, a supporting roller upon which said platen travels, a blade-confining roller disposed adjacent the platen opposite the shoulder thereon, and mechanism to impart relative travel of said rollers longitudinally with respect to the platen.

4. In a knife-bar shaping machine, a spiral platen mounted to turn upon an axis and having a radial forming face and a shoulder extending along the inner edge of said face, a supporting roller upon which said platen travels, forming. rollers spaced apart and disposed to turn upon axes that extend transversely respecting the axis of said platen, said platen and rollers being arranged so that the platen is confined between the supporting roller and the forming rollers, a blade confining a roller adjacent the platen opposite the shoulder thereon, and mechanism to impart relative travel of said rollers longitudinally with respect to the platen.

5. In a knife-bar shaping machine, a spiral platen mounted to turn upon an axis and having a radial forming face and a shoulder extending along the inner edge of said face, a supporting roller upon which said platen travels, forming rollers spaced apart and disposed to turn upon axes that extend transversely respecting the axis of said platen, said platen and rollers being arranged so that the platen is confined between the supporting roller and the forming rollers, andmechanism to impart relative travel of said rollers longitudinally with respect to the platens 6. A knife-bar shaping machine having a spiral platen mounted to have turning movement upon an axis, a supporting roller upon which said platen travels, forming rollers disposed upon relatively divergent axes and located opposite said supporting roller respecting said platen, a blade confining roller adjacent the outer edge of the platen, and mechanism to impart relative travel of said rollers longitudinally with respect to said platen.

'7. A knife-bar shaping machine having a spiral platen mounted to have turning movement upon an axis, a supporting roller upon which said platen travels, forming rollers disposed upon relatively divergent axes and located opposite said supporting roller respecting said platen, and

mechanism to impart relative travel of said rollers longitudinally with respect to said platen.

CHARLES E. CLEVELAND. 

